Chapter 41 chapter 41 I have a friend. …

“Then the theme of the final project will be rebranding. From today to next week, everyone will go to find a suitable case and post it to the group. We will discuss it after class next week to decide on the theme and division of labor. Is that ok?”

“No problem for me.” “Ok.” “I’m ok too.”

Zhao Manzhi put away her notebook. “Okay, then we’ll see you next week. If you have any questions, please communicate in time.”

Although it was not the first time for Zhao Manzhi to be a team leader, it was the most comfortable one for Zhao Manzhi. Although the par group ranged from Year 2 to Year 4, there were mainland students, international students and local students, but no one was a free rider. The vision would be more comprehensive and the group atmosphere was also very motivated.

In this way, the GPA of this sem is expected to reach 3.8 or even 3.9. All the efforts will be rewarded with beautiful numbers on the transcript, helping her to embark on the next journey smoothly.

The class ended late, and Zhao Manzhi had no time to go for dinner. She bought a sandwich at the nearest coffee shop and rushed to the mountain.

Today is Han Xiaoshuang's birthday. The group agreed to celebrate and get together. After all, it will be final month soon. It will be difficult to make an appointment then. Therefore, everyone came in full force. Zhao Manzhi had an evening class and was one of the last few to arrive.

When she arrived, the girls were gathered together, holding something like a treasure and passing it around. Li Ke was buying drinks. When she saw her, she greeted her quietly, "Are you here?"

Zhao Manzhi nodded, but her eyes were fixed on the other end, "What are you doing? It's so lively."

"Looking at bags, LV's Never Full." Li Ke winked, with a strange expression, "Fang Ling's."

Girls in their early twenties have only just gained enlightenment about luxury goods from the colorful information flow. It is normal to be curious and eager, but Fang Ling has always been frugal, why did she suddenly buy a big-brand bag? No wonder Li Ke had that expression.

Zhao Manzhi said, "She has saved a lot of money over the years, including tuition fees, scholarships, and rewards for herself."

"Just because you think this way doesn't mean others think this way."

People are like this. When they see someone who was originally unhappy suddenly become prosperous, they will inevitably make some malicious speculations.

Zhao Manzhi had just sat down when she heard Liu Yifan asking loudly on the other end, "Fang Ling, your bag is well made. Where did you buy it? It's almost indistinguishable from the real thing."

Fang Ling, who was originally a little proud, turned pale in an instant. Luo Yuner saw it and quickly nudged Liu Yifan with her elbow, signaling him to talk less.

Unexpectedly, this man was relentless and continued, "Oh, isn't it that Fang Ling usually seems simple? It turns out that this bag is real. It seems that there is a low-key young lady in our group. I'm sorry."

Zhao Manzhi wanted to explain for her impulsively, but Li Ke held her back and shook his head.

She calmed down, moved her lips, and finally said nothing.

Last time, Fang Ling said that her kindness was charity, which was essentially due to her self-esteem. If she said the wrong thing at this moment, she might think too much.

In the end, Chen Muchuan made peace, "Liu Yifan, what are you looking at? If you don't want those eyes, you can dig them out. What nonsense are you talking about?"

The person who was scolded was not annoyed, and smiled, "Brother Chuan is still kind to women."

Hearing his support, Fang Ling seemed to have confidence and finally dared to look at Zhao Manzhi.

But Zhao Manzhi's eyes were as calm as a lake.

When everyone was chatting, cutting cakes, and giving gifts, she was smiling, but her eyes were calm.

After the last quarrel, they went from friends who talked about everything to roommates who nodded to each other. The few times they communicated occasionally were also when they forgot to bring their keys, and asked each other's whereabouts.

Later, Zhao Manzhi didn't look for her anymore. He would stay in the library all day without bringing his keys, and he didn't care much about her affairs.

Fang Ling felt a hole in her heart. In the past, Zhao Manzhi would not have ignored a situation like today, but now it seemed that it didn't matter whether she was good or not. Zhao Manzhi just watched coldly, as if treating a stranger. When it really became like this, Fang Ling was a little unhappy.

During the meal, Zhao Manzhi got up to go to the bathroom. Fang Ling hesitated for a moment and followed her.

They met in front of the sink. Zhao Manzhi had no reason to turn a blind eye. Seeing her, he smiled, then reached out to take the hand sanitizer without saying anything more.

The cold water flowed through her palms, becoming the only sound in this small space. When she thought they were going to go back in silence, Fang Ling suddenly said, "That bag is real."

Zhao Manzhi took a piece of hand towel, "Well, it's very beautiful and practical. You have good taste."

"Don't you want to ask something else?"

Others didn't know, but Zhao Manzhi always knew best that Fang Ling couldn't afford this bag even if she gritted her teeth. She didn't understand Fang Ling's intention, and didn't want to cooperate with her. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Isn't it a gift from Chen Muchuan?"

Fang Ling shook her head, "No, I bought it with my own money."

"That's good." Afraid that she would misunderstand, Zhao Manzhi added, "Oh, I don't mean anything else, it's just that I'm soft-hearted. It's not just Chen Muchuan. Other people's valuable gifts are always not as reliable as what you get by yourself."

After saying that, she crumpled up the paper towel and threw it into the trash can. When she was about to leave, Fang Ling called her again.

"Do you know why the apartment suddenly started to check the closed-circuit television?" Fang Ling's voice trembled slightly, "Zhao Manzhi, the favors you get from others can never be compared to a bag."

When she cooperated with the dormitory supervisor to register that day, she heard the workers behind her chatting, and realized that this sudden inspection was not due to a student report, but an order from the upper level of the college.

"But at least there's money to be made, it's not too bad. The OT fee is quite generous this time."

"Of course, it's not that easy to be an FBI agent!"

The co-worker's sister uncle said and laughed unintentionally, but Fang Ling remembered it in her heart. Later, she flipped through Zhao Manzhi's Facebook and found that she was indeed following Zhuang Youkai.

So he could see her complaint, investigating thieves, sending gifts... It was not accidental.

After hearing this, Zhao Manzhi felt a chill spread from her fingertips to her whole body. She looked at Fang Ling, her eyes were heavy, with an indescribable sense of oppression: "So, what do you want to say?"

Did you want to say that she didn't deserve Mr. Zhuang's care, or that she said one thing and did another?

But in any case, at this moment Zhao Manzhi realized that Fang Ling was no longer the little girl who dragged her suitcase alone on the first day of reporting, and was anxious at the foot of the mountain because of shyness and not speaking Cantonese.

The guilt that was suppressed before gradually disappeared at this moment, becoming a bubble in the hot summer of Hong Kong Island more than three years ago.

They finally parted ways.

Fang Ling was speechless, and unconsciously crushed the paper towel in her hand.

"Fang Ling, I still say the same thing. No matter what, I hope you don't regret your choice."

*

Originally, it was because of the birthday group's party. After the formal ceremony, everyone chatted lazily for a while, and then found excuses to slip away.

After such a quarrel with Fang Ling, Zhao Manzhi really didn't want to go back to the dormitory, and asked Li Ke if she could go to her place to make trouble. Li Ke told her regretfully, "Unfortunately, my local roommate who almost disappeared just happened to come back today. It's not that I don't want to accept you."

"Okay." She looked at the computer in her bag, "At worst, I can stay in the withdrawal garden for one night, just in time to prepare the materials for the final project in advance."

The study room on the LG floor of the university library is called Jinxueyuan. It was renamed in everyone's joke. It is a rare place in the school that is open 24 hours a day.

"This is not a solution. One or two days is fine, but are you going to live in the retreat campus every day?"

"I'll ask the college if I can change roommates."

"There's only one semester left, and I can't find anyone to change with you." Li Ke suggested, "How about you rent a house for a short period of time? It's only half a year anyway, so the rent won't be too heavy."

CUHK is a relatively good school for mainland students. Most colleges provide 3-4 years of guaranteed accommodation. Even if they don't, the weight of the extra points based on the distance from the home address is high, so most students can live in the school. There are also some who rent houses. Compared with places like HKU where every inch of land is valuable, renting a house near Shatin is not too expensive, and Zhao Manzhi's family is relatively well-off and can afford it.

Renting a house? She really didn't think about this.

In fact, renting a house is quite common in Year 4. There are few classes and many interns, so it's inconvenient to live in the school. But Zhao Manzhi's situation is the opposite. The interns are right next to the school. If she really lives far away, it will be troublesome to commute back and forth.

She shook her head helplessly, "I'll think about it again."

Among the three top universities in Hong Kong Island, CUHK students have always self-deprecatingly described themselves as the most decadent, doing nothing but playing dem beats and hiking. But even so, the dropout campus near the finals was still crowded with people. Zhao Manzhi walked around with her things, but couldn't find a suitable place to stay.

Not wanting to go back to the college, and having no place to stay in the library, Zhao Manzhi went to the women's snack shop that provided night snacks and bought a small portion of curry fish balls. She ate while staring blankly.

Looking down from this angle, you can see Shatin Huanye, which is adjacent to the foothills, and the beautiful lights meander into a galaxy in the dark.

Yes, Huanye.

"Hello, welcome to Shatin Huanye, how can I help you... Mandy?!"

The front desk clerk Sophia recognized her and was surprised, "Did you leave something in the office?"

"No, I'm here to check in." She smiled and handed over her Hong Kong and Macau Pass, "No need for a view, an ordinary room will do, no problem."

"Hey, don't you have a place to stay? Why do you come here alone to book a room?" Although she was puzzled, Sophia still followed the process, "Confirm the room rate and deposit here. Huanye employees get a 30% discount. If there is no problem, please sign for me."

Zhao Manzhi wrote her name proudly and took out her credit card to hand it back, "It's a long story, just consider it as an employee benefit, otherwise I'll be in trouble."

"That's it." Sophia finished and handed over the room card with both hands according to the service standards. "Ms. Zhao, your room is on the 12th floor, the elevator is on the left side of the lobby, the restaurant is on the 4th floor, and breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:00 in the morning. If you have any questions, you can call the front desk at any time using the room phone. I wish you a pleasant stay."

Zhao Manzhi was still a little uncomfortable with such thoughtful care from a familiar colleague. "The service attitude is so professional. Can I give you a good review?"

Sophia winked at her playfully, "Of course, remember to praise me more."

She didn't bring anything with her. She came to the room to charge the computer first, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. She didn't eat much this evening, and after going up and down the mountain, Zhao Manzhi's stomach made a long protest after packing up.

She thought for a moment and called the front desk, "Sophia, can I still order food now?"

"Now... no, it's past the midnight snack time."

"Okay, I'll go downstairs to buy some noodles."

"Wait a minute," Sophia suddenly remembered, "Jeffery is coming down to have dinner tonight, probably to get the merger plan through the board of directors. The boss and the others are working overtime, maybe there's extra food. I'll ask for you."

Zhao Manzhi subconsciously glanced at the time, and the hands were almost at twelve o'clock. Are you still working overtime so late?

"Okay, thank you."

Five minutes later, Sophia called back, bringing good news and bad news.

The good news is that there are extra overtime meals for Zhao Manzhi, and she doesn't have to pay extra.

The bad news is that it's impossible to arrange for food delivery at this time, and she needs to go there in person.

For her, being able to eat hot meals at this time is a luxury, so she naturally won't care about this inconvenience.

But if she eats at this time, she will definitely not be able to go to bed early. Fortunately, there are also evening classes tomorrow, so even if she stays up late, she can have a good rest before going back to school.

Zhao Manzhi simply took her computer and went out, taking advantage of her clear mind to look at more case information. The restaurant was closed, and Sophia notified her to go to the top floor, saying that the employee card had permission. At that time, Zhao Manzhi didn't know what this meant until the elevator door opened and she saw the sign of the executive lounge.

Could it be...

"Mandy is here." Jeffery saw her hesitating at the door, so he stretched out his hand to greet her, "Come on, the meal is ready."

Zhao Manzhi volunteered to use this name again. After all, it was too difficult to teach Hong Kong people standard Mandarin every day. She simply introduced herself as Mandy to save trouble for each other. Jeffery was a very good person, with a gentle temper and proper work, like a big brother who would take care of people. Zhao Manzhi usually cooperated with him happily, but now she met him, she felt a little uncomfortable.

After all, his presence here meant that Zhuang Youkai was also nearby. Zhao Manzhi looked at her T-shirt and slippers. She didn't wear contact lenses, and the heavy black-framed glasses pressed on her nose, which was really embarrassing.

"Why are you still embarrassed? Just now, Sophia said that the boss arranged for you to come up. We have worked together before, so what are you afraid of?" Seeing that she was unmoved, Jeffery came up and invited her, "Let's go."

Zhao Manzhi couldn't resist, so she had to thank him quietly and followed him in with her computer. There was almost no one in the executive lounge at this time, which made the man sitting on the soft sofa behind the rosewood partition more eye-catching.

Zhuang Youkai was reading documents with his back to them, his left arm stretched out on the armrest, with a cigarette between his fingers, which he quickly put out when he heard the approaching footsteps.

Every time she saw his back, Zhao Manzhi would think of the first time she met Mr. Zhuang. She used to admire him like a mountain, but she never thought that there would be such a close moment.

She greeted him quietly: "Hello, boss."

Zhuang Youkai looked up at her and nodded in response.

The dishes on the table were not touched much, probably because the people who were talking about business were not very happy to eat, so they all looked complete. Jeffery signaled the lounge waiter to remove some extra dishes and cups, and soon, the boat porridge left for Zhao Manzhi was served.

The porridge was still hot, and Zhao Manzhi couldn't eat quickly, so she propped the computer on the table to read the case, and then blew it cool and drank it in small sips. Seeing how hard she was working, Jeffery asked with a smile, "The finals should be around for a while, right? Why are you working so

hard?" "I can't sleep very well tonight, so this is a good time to prepare.

" "That's right." Jeffery sighed, "Seeing you like this reminds me of the time when I was in school. Mandy, you may not know, but I'm your senior .

" Zhao Manzhi's eyes lit up, "Really? What a coincidence."

"Mrs. Zhuang is the director of the school foundation. Huanye is very friendly to CUHK students in its annual recruitment. Are you graduating next year? Would you consider joining us formally?"

Unexpectedly, in just a few months, this was the second time that Huanye had made a formal offer. Telling this to the recent graduates who are struggling in the autumn recruitment would make them think that this is a crazy fantasy of finding a job.

"I still plan to study, and I've been preparing materials recently."

"Where to apply?"

"Ideally, Lausanne."

Jeffery looked like he understood, "Lausanne, a good school, the temple of wine stewards."

Then he slowly thought about it for two seconds, and immediately, as if he had touched the switch, "Wait a minute, you said, Lausanne?!"

This gentle special assistant rarely loses his composure, and Zhao Manzhi was inevitably frightened, blinking in confusion, "...What's wrong?"

A man's light cough suddenly came from the side that was originally silent and as quiet as mountains and rivers.

"Nothing, nothing." Jeffery realized how redundant he was in this occasion, and his desire to escape was beyond words, "Remember that the Compliance Department said that there are still review opinions to be revised, I'll go and take a look."

Zhuang Youkai immediately agreed, "Go ahead, take a closer look."

"Understood."

Zhao Manzhi looked at his back as he left, and forgot to eat the cold porridge he scooped up. Is it so urgent? Jeffery seemed to want to sprint a hundred meters.

The person sitting opposite kindly reminded, "Don't worry about him, he can't even concentrate on eating."

"...Oh."

Zhao Manzhi sipped the porridge on the spoon and was about to take another bite. Just then, she saw a case study with detailed analysis. She was so fascinated by it that she completely forgot about being hungry. She even held the porcelain spoon in her hand.

Zhuang Youkai looked up and saw this scene. The girl with a plain face and a white magnolia, with a wet grain of rice on the corner of her mouth, was fascinated by the computer screen and completely forgot about eating and sleeping.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He was worried about whether she would take good care of herself after going abroad.

Before, when he looked at Zhao Manzhi, he thought she was capable and generous, and took care of everything. But now, he felt that she looked more and more like a child. Not only did she not eat well, but she even had to hide her emotions. The difference between her in front of others and behind her could be so big.

Thinking of this, he was reluctant to send her away. After all, other people's care was not done by themselves, and he couldn't rest assured.

"Zhao Manzhi."

"Hmm?"

He almost wanted to tell her to stay in Hong Kong on impulse, but what position did he have? Looking at the girl's crystal black pupils, Zhuang Youkai slowed down and changed the topic to something insignificant, "There's something at the corner of your mouth."

Zhao Manzhi was typing on the keyboard, and she couldn't use her hands to wipe it, so she subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth.

More like a child.

When she reacted, she was so embarrassed that she dug her toes into the ground, buried her head, and used the computer screen to block Zhuang Youkai's sight, "Um... can you pretend you didn't see it?"

"It doesn't matter." Zhuang Youkai repeated the old words, "After all, we are in a relationship where we can chat, so this is not rude."

The executive lounge left only soft corridor lights late at night, casting an ambiguous shadow on his face, making Mr. Zhuang look easy to talk tonight, making people want to talk. Just like he said, it's a relationship where you can chat, so it doesn't seem to matter to talk about things outside of work.

"Then is Mr. Zhuang free? Let's chat."

Zhuang Youkai put down the documents in his hand and looked like he was listening attentively.

"I have a friend." Unexpectedly, she would also start the conversation with "friend" instead of "herself". "She has had some conflicts with her good friend recently. I don't know whose problem is it. The people around them are very familiar with both of them, and the feedback they give is not objective. So I want to ask you, how do you view this matter from a stranger's perspective?"

"You tell me."

"My friend and roommate have known each other for a long time. Because my roommate is more introverted, my friend has taken on all the things that need to be dealt with and decided in daily life. But it seems that over time, the roommate feels that she is too strong and doesn't consider her own feelings. She even doubts their friendship. She says that my friend just needs a foil and needs someone to cooperate with her performance so that others think she is kind."

After a long time, when Zhao Manzhi mentioned this sentence again, she still felt heartbroken. She took a sip of the lemonade on the table before continuing, "Of course, people are not plants, I... My friend was also very upset after hearing this, and felt that her efforts were in vain, so she wanted to draw a clear line with her roommate, but sometimes she wondered if she was too harsh and didn't leave any room for the other party. After all, the other party didn't have any friends left in school except her."

Zhuang Youkai propped up his chin, "Anything else?"

"Yes, there is something else." She hesitated and added the part about Chen Muchuan, "My roommate likes a boy, but my friend thinks that this boy's character is not particularly good, so she reminded him indirectly. But my roommate thinks that my friend deliberately said these words to make her give up because she doesn't want to lose this suitor."

"No more?"

"No more."

In fact, there are some, but they are all about Zhuang Youkai, and she can't mix them in this story that belongs to "friends".

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" he asked.

"The truth."

"Then I'll get straight to the point." Zhuang Youkai's expression was very indifferent, "She's an ungrateful person who is too well protected and wants to suffer. Just let her go. It's best to stay away from her, lest she gets hurt and cries in front of you one day, annoying you for no reason." "

..." It had been too long since she had experienced the power of Zhuang Youkai's mouth, and Zhao Manzhi was a little uncomfortable for a while. After a long time, she stammered and corrected, "She's my friend."

"No matter who it is, you must realize that it is not a bad thing to end a negative relationship. Every relationship may be stage-by-stage, just like line segments will intersect and then separate, it's common sense. The distance that always remains the same is for strangers."

He was clear and logical, with an indisputable power, "So withdrawing in time is also a kind of sobriety, don't blame yourself, look forward."

Zhao Manzhi nodded as if she understood, but as her thoughts deepened, a sense of sadness slowly welled up in her heart.

This is Zhuang Youkai, and this is also Zhuang Youkai.

It's because they have become too familiar recently, and he has given her too many indulgences and exceptions, which made Zhao Manzhi forget that the heir trained by a wealthy family is still decisive and never drags his feet outside the business world.

So, are she and Mr. Zhuang getting closer, intertwined, or drifting apart now?

"Every relationship may be stage-by-stage," Zhao Manzhi repeated his words with trembling lips, "Then, is it also true for relationships where you can chat?"